Its complicated harmonies have echoed through the Caucasus region of Eurasia for over a millennium and have even been broadcast into outer space by the space shuttle Explorer as an example of mankind’s cultural genius. This Friday, Oct. 28, it will be Portsmouth’s turn to hear the exhilarating, unforgettable sound of Georgian choral music when the Anchiskhati Choir, from Tbilisi, the Republic of Georgia, performs at St. John’s Episcopal Church in Portsmouth at 8 p.m. Suggested donation is $10, or $7 for seniors and students.

Currently on its first tour of the United States, the 10-man choir is considered to be one of the world’s leading proponents of authentic, polyphonic Georgian folk songs, chants and hymns. While the chorus will perform mainly in a three-voice a cappella tradition, the choir members will also play a selection of Georgian folk instruments, including traditional mountain bagpipes and three- and four-string lute-like instruments known as the panduri and chonguri.

Georgia, sharing borders with Turkey, Russia and Azerbaijan, has been a cultural crossroads for thousands of years, and its music appeals to a wide range of tastes, says Kevin Siegfried, co-director of the Concerts on the Hill series with his wife Abbey Hallberg Siegfried.

“For me, because Georgia is a bridge-type culture geographically speaking, it has elements of eastern music and elements of western music that allows the listener to inhabit both worlds,” he says.
The adjective “polyphonic” is a term used regularly when describing Georgian music. This academic term simply means “many voices.” While polyphonic harmonies are standard in many musical traditions, Siegfried notes that some musical scholars believe that the concept of musical harmony originated in Georgia several thousand years ago. As a result, Georgians attach a great deal of cultural identity to the almost primal-sounding harmonies of their traditional music.

Georgians’ musical identity was put to the test throughout most of the 20th century when Georgia fell under the control of the Soviet Union. For over three generations, the performance of traditional religious music was prohibited. In 1989, Mikhail Erkvanidze, an ethnomusicologist, along with his fellow Anchiskhati Choir members, began the revival of traditional Georgian chant music, which has now garnered worldwide attention.

On Friday night, the Anchiskhati Choir will perform a variety of ancient religious chants and secular folk songs that celebrate village life. Along with their spine-tingling harmonies, the choir will sing using some unique vocal techniques, such as Krimanchuli, which is a form of yodeling from Western Georgia. By coming to St. John’s, says Siegfried, the audience will have the opportunity to sit only a few feet away from 10 singers who “will create an amazing sound.”

Concerts on the Hill continue
St. John’s Episcopal Church
101 Chapel St., Portsmouth
Donations suggested
• The Anchiskhati Choir from Tbilisi, Republic of Georgia, Friday, Oct. 28 at 8 p.m.
• “A Festival of Music for Trumpet and Organ,” Jan. 22 at 4 p.m.
• “Brattle, Brass and Bravura,” featuring the oldest pipe organ in the United States, the Brattle Organ, ca. 1708, Jan. 29 at 4 p.m.
• Pianist Frederick Moyer, March 12 at 4 p.m.
• Vocal group Liber Unusualis, May 19 at 8 p.m. and May 20 at 2 p.m.